East Syracuse Minoa student take a STAND with comedy show for Sudanese school

East Syracuse, NY -- In the small village of Ariath, South Sudan, a water well being constructed with money raised by East Syracuse Minoa students will be named after the school.

“With a lot of clubs you raise money and you don’t get to see where it actually goes,” said ESM senior Angela Shaw, president of her school’s chapter of Students Taking Action Now in Darfur (STAND). “With this, your funds have a real impact. Because of us, four wells have been built — two in Ariath and two in neighboring villages.”

Ariath is located close to the border of Darfur, and students have been working with Lost Boy Clement Kuek for the past two years to bring fresh drinking water to Ariath.

With the wells constructed, the group is moving onto its next goal — raising money to rebuild the local school in Ariath. ESM teacher Keith Ward, who advises the club, said the students will need about $100,000 for the school, which was destroyed more than seven years ago after the war there.

The club will launch its new fundraising campaign with a comedy benefit 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the high school. Comedian Myq Kaplan from NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” will perform. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door (if available). They hope to raise $6,000 to $10,000.

The club, which has about 30 members and a core group of about 10, wants to expand the comedy show to a larger venue — such as the Civic Center — next year and attract headline acts with the goal of building the boys and girls primary school in two years.

“This is just not giving money to a cause; it’s seeing a tangible result,” said Devin Bucher, a junior active in the club. “The Sudanese war is often overlooked, and this is a way we can really make a difference.”

The students raised about $4,000 to $5,000 to construct each well, Wards said. “They are learning what successful philanthropy looks like,” he said. “They also see it’s not about politics, it’s about wanting to help so real changes can be made.”

Shaw said she hadn’t heard of the Sudanese conflict before joining the club and was appalled to hear of some of the conditions. She learned that women walked six miles to get water and then were often attacked on their way back to the village by others who stole their water.

“Building the wells and helping keep the women safe is so fulfilling,” she said.

For advance tickets, call Ward at 434-3300 or email kward@esmschools.org.